


Of Having Pie (And Eating It Too)

by wackyjacqs



Series: Bizarre Holidays [235]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Episode: s08e18 Threads, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:34:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26024305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wackyjacqs/pseuds/wackyjacqs
Summary: She decides to drop by the General’s office only he beats her to it as he steps out of the elevator as she is about to step inside. The look they share is heated and holds the secret of something new and exciting, and Sam smiles softly.
Relationships: Samantha "Sam" Carter/Jack O'Neill
Series: Bizarre Holidays [235]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1234973
Comments: 14
Kudos: 82





	Of Having Pie (And Eating It Too)

**Author's Note:**

> Written for ‘Spumoni Day’ (August 21). I had never heard of spumoni before, but apparently, it’s a molded gelato made with layers of different colors and flavors, usually containing candied fruits and nuts. Typically, it is of three flavors, with a fruit/nut layer between them. It sounds really good! 
> 
> This is a continuation of the previous two chapters, _Secret Ingredient._

Pete takes the news of the broken engagement better than Sam expects, which makes her feel guilty, but then she remembers why she’s made the decision she has and makes her way back to Cheyenne Mountain feeling a lot lighter and happier than she has in months.

She changes back into her BDUs and makes her way through the SGC until she reaches the elevators again and hits the button. It doesn’t take long for her to step inside and as the doors slide closed behind her, she leans against one of the walls and closes her eyes as she heads to Level 18 where she knows she’ll find Daniel and Teal’c. Her heart warms at the thought of her teammates and friends, because between the SGC being seconds away from destruction; Anubis mysteriously vanishing and his army being overpowered; Daniel returning safe and sound; and the weapon on Dakara finally being destroyed, it looked like they had all been facing certain death at some stage today, and yet, they’ve made it. They’re all still here, together, like they are supposed to be.

Sam allows herself a moment of peace before the elevator comes to a stop and the doors reopen. As she predicts, her teammates are crowded around a desk cluttered with artifacts and as she steps inside Daniel’s lab they acknowledge her presence before continuing their conversation regarding the fate of Anubis. It’s surreal to think that everything they have been fighting for, everything they have sacrificed over the past eight years, has suddenly come to an end. There’s a strange feeling in the air as they all start to come to terms with the realization and a new reality.

“Everything okay, Sam?”

“Hmm?” The question pulls her from her thoughts and her friends studying her, Daniel in particular.

“I asked if you were okay,” he repeats.

“Oh.” She hesitates for a moment and then nods because she really _is_ okay. “Everything is… good,” she adds quietly and when Teal’c and Daniel exchange a glance before they turn back to her, she smiles. “I need to see the General, but I’ll catch you both later.”

She knows she needs to tell them about Pete, and she will, but not before she’s told Jack. So, she decides to drop by his office before she faces her own lab. Only the General beats her to it as he steps out of the elevator just as she’s about to step inside and they almost bump into each other. Jack reaches out a hand to steady her before he lets it fall by his side. The look they share is heated and holds the secret of something new and exciting, and Sam smiles softly.

“I heard you were back so I, ah, stopped off at your lab,” the General says breaking the silence as a lieutenant walks by, “but you weren’t there.”

Sam’s smile widens at his almost bashful expression and she shrugs. “I wasn’t ready to go back there yet,” she shrugs, “so I thought I’d go and see the guys first.”

“Ah.” He rocks back on his heels as the mood turns slightly awkward and Jack glances around. “Were you –”

He gestures towards the elevator and Sam nods. “I was actually on my way to see you.”

“Oh. Well then,” he says as he spins on his heel, “after you.”

She gives him a bemused look before she does as he asks and steps onto the elevator. When the doors close, he presses the button for the level to his office and then half-turns to face her. “So, what did you want to see me about?”

“I spoke to Pete.” The General freezes but doesn’t look away. “I gave him back the engagement ring.”

“How –”

“It's fine,” she interrupts. “Pete’s a good guy; he reacted differently to what I expected.” She notices him shift and she adds, “It was almost as if he knew the wedding wouldn’t go ahead.”

“I’m sorry, Carter.” She offers him another small smile before she straightens and takes a deep breath. “You look tired.”

She huffs out a laugh. “I can’t remember the last time I slept.”

Before the General can answer, the elevator comes to a stop and the doors open but instead of getting out, he studies her carefully and the reaches over and hits the button for Level 25.

“Sir?”

He doesn’t say anything so they ride in silence and when the doors reopen he gestures for her to go first. They walk in silence until they reach the locker rooms.

“Get changed and go home,” he orders gently.

“But I’m –”

“Exhausted, Carter. You’ve been through a lot lately – go home before it takes its toll.”

“My lab –”

“I’ll make sure no-one goes in or out,” he promises.

She holds his gaze for a moment longer and then sighs. She’s too tired to argue and there really isn’t anything for her to do right now. Her reports are all written up and have been submitted to the General for sign off and she has no interest to fire up any of her science projects.

“Okay,” she mumbles.

“Good,” he nods and then hesitates as if he’s wondering about whether or not to utter the next few words out loud. He sticks his head around the door of the locker room to make sure they are alone and then clears his throat. “About that rain check?”

Sam swears her heart skips a beat at the question and he raises a brow in silent question. “If you promise to go home and rest for a while… does tonight suit?”

“Yeah,” she says softly, “it does.”

He tells her he’s a few more reports to finish and a briefing with SG-6 but he plans to leave the base no later than nineteen-hundred hours, and that he’ll see her soon. She can’t hide her smile as the General walks away with a grin.

* * *

When there’s a knock on the door at twenty-hundred hours, Sam’s earlier happiness is suddenly replaced with anxiety, but then she opens the door and Jack is standing there. He looks relaxed and content, his jeans and fleece stripping away another layer that she associates with him being ‘The General’, but then he holds up a plastic bag from the local Chinese restaurant and says, “I thought we’d try dinner”, as if it’s the most natural thing in the world, and her nerves vanish.

Sam watches as he places something in the freezer before they sit down to eat. They keep the conversation light and it’s only when Jack pushes his plate away that she remembers the reason for their ‘rain check’ and says, “I hope you saved room for pie.”

“Carter – _Sam,_ ” he amends, “there’s always room for pie.”

She shakes her head as she grabs two clean plates and the chocolate pecan pie she made the previous night and the General goes to the freezer. When she returns to the table, there’s a plastic container sitting in the middle and she frowns at it before she glances at the man sitting opposite her who now appears suddenly nervous and all earlier ease and confidence is gone.

“What’s in the box?”

He clears his throat, “I was thinking about what you said – last night – and how you felt like you were… _home._ ” His statement sounds more like a question and she nods. “Well, I get that,” he says as his gaze falls to the container, “so I thought I’d bring you a welcome home present.”

The final words are spoken so quietly, and with such reverence, that Sam finds it hard to breathe. She reaches for the container, pops the lid, and half laughs, half cries at the contents inside, and the sheer thoughtfulness of the gift which is purely Jack O’Neill.

“I know you don’t like to eat pie without it, and you can’t –”

“–have one without the other,” she finishes with a chuckle. It’s the excuse she always uses on team night for when she loads up her plate with pie and ice cream but now it’s taken on a completely different meaning for them. “It’s perfect,” she whispers as she meets his eye, “thank you.”

He releases a breath and then gestures for the container. She lets him take it and watches as he carefully scoops a spoonful of spumoni from the box she was just holding and sets it on her plate, before he does the same with his. She then cuts them both a slice of pie and as they each grab a fork, they share a smile. They’re both finally home.

**Author's Note:**

> So, this isn’t the ending I had originally planned. I _had_ made notes for the pair to discuss their future and Jack resigning but that didn’t happen on this occasion, so...


End file.
